The present invention relates generally to an improved package for an expandable food product, and more particularly, to the combination of a food pouch and container for an expandable food product such as popcorn. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a package.
There are many expandable food packages existing in the prior art. Such packages are designed for expandable food products such as popcorn and function to both store the product in its uncooked condition and contain the produced in its expanded condition. With a product such as popcorn, exposing the kernels to a source of heat will cause the food product to expand, thereby causing similar expansion of the package. Initially, these packages were constructed of a metal or metal foil container and were adapted for exposure to a source of heat such as by placement of the package in a conventional convection oven or over a stove burner. In more recent years with the advent of the microwave oven, several new packages and containers have become available for the cooking of expandable food products in microwave ovens. Most of these are constructed of a paperboard material and include various means for containing the food as it expands during microwave heating.
One such prior art package consists of an expandable paper bag into which the expandable food product such as popcorn, together with cooking oils, etc. are placed. The bag is then folded for compact storage. When microwave energy is applied, the popcorn pops to expand the bag which then functions to contain the product. Another package comprises an expandable cardboard container which is first opened and the popcorn kernels, cooking oils, etc. placed directly into the bottom of the package. The package is then latched before exposing the same to microwave heating. Still another prior art package comprises an outer cardboard container having a generally polygonal shaped base, a plurality of sidewalls and a plurality of top petals or leaves which open up as the food product expands. The food product is contained within this outer container by a plastic food pouch. One advantage of this latter type of package is that the inner plastic pouch is sealed to provide the product with a relatively long shelf life. This permits the product to be stored for extended periods of time on grocery store shelves and in inventory without refrigeration.
While this latter prior art package described above with the expandable plastic pouch is an acceptable package in many respects, it does have several limitations. First, the plastic pouch is contained in a relatively low and flat outer container having a relatively low and flat outer container having a relatively small polygonal shaped base portion. Thus, the package itself is unstable and often results in the food product being spilled unless care is taken when opening the plastic pouch or handling the package.
Secondly, although the plastic pouch functions satisfactorily to extend the shelf life of the food product without refrigeration, it is not secured to the outer container in any way. Thus, after the food product has been heated and its expansion is complete, it is often difficult to open the pouch without spilling the contents. For example, when the expandable food is popcorn, the plastic pouch which contains the popped corn will tend to shift about within the outer container when the pouch is open or when the container is carried about. This shifting of the pouch often results in the popcorn being spilled or the pouch falling out of the outer container. Even during the popping of the corn, the force of the exploding kernels can shift the position of the pouch so that the seam is not in the proper position to be opened. When this happens the hot oil can come in prolonged contact with the seam causing a premature rupture that results in undesirable spillage on the microwave oven floor.
Thirdly, the expandable pouch, when heated, will normally expand to a size which causes the pouch to explode or a portion of the seam to give way, thus, permitting the release of pressure within the pouch. A disadvantage of current pouch designs is that there is no control over the location at which the seam will fail or the size of the opening that will be made when it does fail. Many times the opening is large enough to permit the popped corn to leak from the pouch.
Accordingly, there is a need for an expandable food package which is stable, which prevents the expandable pouch from shifting about during heating and which prevents the uncontrolled failure of the pouch seam or bursting of the pouch during heating.